Sweeney Celebrates the Rowan Unified Sports Club

GLASSBORO – Senate President Steve Sweeney helped celebrate Rowan University’s Unified Sports Club being recognized as one of the “Top 5” Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools in the country. The event recognizing all Unified athletes and partners culminated in the revealing of the Unified Champion Schools banner.

“The Rowan Unified Sports Club offers a fun, competitive environment for Special Olympic athletes to showcase their skills while forming lasting relationships with university students,” said Senator Sweeney (D-Gloucester/Salem/Cumberland). “I am a longtime supporter of the Special Olympics and immensely grateful for their dedication to promoting inclusivity in our state.”

“We truly appreciate Senate President Sweeney attending the banner presentation and always offering passionate support and advocacy for not only our organization but all individuals with special needs,” said Special Olympics NJ CEO Heather Andersen.

As part of its Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools National Recognition Program, ESPN chose five exemplary schools from a list of 30 schools around the nation to receive a national banner presentation. Rowan University was the only collegiate program in the top five, and one of seven collegiate programs included on the list of 30.

Senate President Sweeney entered public service after his daughter was born with Down Syndrome. He was horrified at the manner in which individuals with disabilities were treated and set out to make a difference not just in his daughter’s life, but in lives of those in his community. It motivated him to help build schools and parks for individuals with special needs and introduce legislation requiring school districts to provide equal athletic opportunities to students with disabilities, which became law in 2014.